Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne was guest of honour at a black tie party that made it clear Ealing is firmly in the Conservative party’s sights for the next election.

Pitshanger Manor on Ealing's Mattock Lane was the fittingly grand backdrop for the celebration of Angie Bray’s selection as Conservative candidate to fight the new parliamentary constituency of Ealing Central and Acton, deemed a ‘critical marginal’.

Osborne offered the Conservatives of Ealing a deal: “You do what you can locally and we’ll do what we can nationally to get her (Angie) in.”

He joked, “You go round and say ‘you’ve picked on of the brightest and the best’, but in this case you have selected one of the brightest talents. I would not bet against her being in the Conservative cabinet.

Angie told EalingToday she will be taking a layered approach to her new role. Rather than relying on a national swing in favour of the conservatives she emphasised her hope to succeed on the back of a reputation for what she puts into the community in the coming months.

“I need to get out and listen and be aware of what’s going on,” said Angie. “When I asked local police, ‘what can I do?’ the response was immediate - ‘Make it clear that Ealing is not some leafy suburb. This is a very diverse community with lots of issues.”

Fantastic food came courtesy of Malcolm John of Le Vacherin fame. His creative take on canapes delighted the gathered ensemble and included snails, quails' eggs, wonderful chicken liver parfait and miniature cheese and leek tarts.